Rake It Up: 5 Problems Leaves Can Cause in the Fall

You’ve probably asked yourself if it’s really necessary to rake up the leaves every fall. After all, autumn foliage can look very pretty even on the ground, and seems to fit in well with Halloween or Thanksgiving festivities. And once they decay, they’re natural fertilizer. Keeping up with falling leaves seems like an endless chore. But there are some very good reasons to pick up the leaves on your property.

Killing the Grass

A few leaves here and there may be no problem, but once they start piling up, they start killing your grass. Like all plants, grass needs plenty of sun and moisture. Allowing your lawn to become covered with leaves creates a blanket that blocks sun and absorbs moisture. By spring, you may find that your “lawn” is nothing but a few scattered weeds and a drift of rotting leaves.

Slippery Walkways

The average payout for personal injury cases is $60,000. Any person with mobility issues could stumble in a thick layer of dried and decaying leaves. In rainy weather, that layer becomes a slick and slippery hazard to everyone, especially on hard surfaces like walkways and driveways. Anyone that falls and gets injured has a very good chance of suing you for damages.

Keep Away Pests

Leaves are also great habitats for insects, snakes, and mice. The heaps and drifts of leaves provide shelter, nourishment, and pockets of fresh water after a rain. Your leaf-filled yard could easily become a thriving, breeding ecosystem for pests that will begin moving into your house if they can find an opening.

Proper Drainage

Leaves also provide a barrier to proper run-off of rainwater. If you used products like pesticides or weed killers all summer, these chemicals may end up pooling in your yard. Leaves can dam up rain, and in the spring melting snow. The decaying leaves under the top layer act like a sponge to soak up water. All that water retention with nowhere for the excess water to drain can turn your yard into a soggy swamp.

Clogged Gutters

The real problem is the water runoff from your roof. Leaves that settle onto your rooftop tile or shingle will eventually drift or get washed down into your gutters. Clogged gutters mean that the water on your roof can’t drain properly. Overflow against your walls and under your eaves can find its way into the underlying structure to cause damage like wood rot and warping, or toxins like mold. Make sure to get these unclogged by a company like Gutter-Resto VIC In the fall, tending to your roof and gutters is more important than any other time of year. There are a lot of excuses for not raking your leaves. But if they aren’t cleaned up, you could have much bigger problems than an untidy lawn.